Note: We don't differentiate between different types of sugar - i.e., sucrose, fructose, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, etc., although there are differences in how these sugars are metabolized. We just used cubes of white sugar as a visual aid. Nutritional information was taken from package labels, manufacturer websites, or the USDA nutrient database. Calorie amounts are based on 4 calories per gram of sugar unless otherwise noted.

I find the visual of how much sugar is in certain beverages to be quite shocking.

"Seek truth in meditation, not moldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pond." - Persian proverb

And not only does coca-cola/pepsi and a lot of other products have tons of sugar which in itself is bad enough; but they also have a very processed form of sugar known as high-fructose corn syrup (and/or toxic aspartame) which is even worse than processed white sugar.

There exists a smartphone app called "Buycott" that makes it really easy to boycott brands by scanning the barcode on the product. You can even set up or follow multiple campaigns on the app. Then, after you scan the barcode, it will tell you if you are boycotting that particular brand, why, what campaign you've selected that it refers to and will even show you the company tree to indicate which companies they are associated with.

"Seek truth in meditation, not moldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pond." - Persian proverb

At some point vegetables became really expensive and most people cut them out of their diet. I know this is a little off topic, it's just something I noticed. The American diet has changed drastically over the past 60 years. I don't know why the super market even has a vege section. I know almost all of it is thrown out. Maybe it's just decoration.

Sugar started appearing in bulk I think in the 1990's. That's when I really noticed it in everything anyways. And then everyone started getting really fat.

The whole change America has undertaken is really parallel to serfdom in the medieval ages. Even the dietary switch from meats, cheeses and veges to cheap staples like grain. I wonder if the police will take on the roles of knights who's primary function is to beat the peasants into submission.

Roland, yeah that's a cool smartphone app. I'm to the point now though where I can usually spot a mega-corporation product—even if it's "all natural" (which in the corporate world can mean whatever they want it to mean)—from a mile away.

Ramon, yep the corporations, factory farming/big food/big agri, big pharma, big oil/petrochemical companies, big/international banking, the M.I.C./warmongering, and the police state/contemporary serfdom all go hand-in-hand. The way I see it, people who are not Dharma practitioners should be fighting it all tooth & nail, and Dharma practitioners should at least stop supporting it all as much as possible and just practice Dharma.

OrganicConsumers.org wrote: ESSAY OF THE WEEK Fat Chance: Diet Coke Fights Obesity? It was laughable when Coca-Cola launched a campaign to fight obesity. And even more laughable when the king of soda’s anti-obesity campaign shifted all the blame for those extra pounds to lack of exercise and chairs (yes, chairs). But now, the company that donated $1.7 million to defeat last year’s GMO labeling initiative in California has gone from laughable to dangerous. In the wake of declining sales of its Diet Coke brand, Coke has rolled out an ad campaign carefully and deceptively crafted to convince consumers that aspartame, the artificial sweetener (whose patent was at one time owned by Monsanto) in Diet Coke, is a “healthy alternative” to sugar.

Aspartame, a synthetic compound (as in, not a food) has a long history of controversy. It’s been linked to a host of health conditions. Some studies have concluded that it actually causes, not prevents, weight gain. The FDA once put its approval on hold. But thanks to Donald Rumsfeld, the artificial sweetener gained approval in 1981. That’s right, the guy who led us into war in Iraq hand-picked the FDA commissioner who rammed through approval of aspartame. Rumsfeld was previously the CEO of G. D Searle, the company that discovered aspartame. He pocketed a nice little $12-million bonus after the FDA approved aspartame and Monsanto bought Searle. Read the essayhttp://www.organicconsumers.org/article ... _28188.cfm

ACTION ALERT Tell Coke: End Your ‘Killer’ Ad Campaign We know. You don’t drink Diet Coke. But half of Americans drink diet soda, and they consume about 4 billion gallons of it every year. Diet soda is a $10-billion industry. It’s making people fat. And sick. Which makes it all the more appalling that Coca-Cola is running public service-style ads aimed at promoting aspartame as a “healthy alternative” to sugar, and Diet Coke as a weight-loss strategy.Coca-Cola is testing its deceptive ads in Chicago and Atlanta. Want to help us convince the company to end the campaign, before it expands to other markets? Sign our letter below to CEO Muhtar Kent, and other top executives. Then call the company. Then share your thoughts on their facebook page.TAKE ACTION: Tell Coke: Stop Running Ads Claiming that Diet Coke and Aspartame Are HealthyCall Coca-Cola: 1-800-438-2653Diet Coke on Facebook

I've noticed how Starbucks has effectively become Dairy Queen, but preserved its image of "just having a coffee".

Most patrons seem to buy creamy drinks which are basically milkshakes, though it is still "just having coffee". You don't feel guilty going out for coffee once or twice a day, even though it is a milkshake. You'd feel guilty maybe going to Dairy Queen everyday.

High sugar consumption has become so normal.

Even in poor countries like India people suck back several cups of chai a day, which is mostly sugar and milk.

Even the bread is sugary. I often lament how "bread" in most of Asia is cake. White flour, hydrogenated vegetable oil and sugar. It is some kind of industrial foam that is kind of edible.

Sugar in excess is really bad for Dharma practice. It unbalances your bio-chemistry in such a way as to produce bouts of depression and "down swings" of mood which exacerbate the three poisons. This in turn seeks more craving and pleasure seeking to re-balance ones overtaxed system. Furthermore the up and down swings make excitement and laxity more of a problem for those trying to develop Shamatha. This is not even to consider the potential health consequences of indulging in sugar all day, every day, for years.